Horse-releasing device.



J. L. MILLER. HORSE RELEASING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED Nov.1s.19os.

Patented Dec. 20, 191.0.

uur A J. L. MILLER. HORSE RELEASING'DEVIGB.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, 1909.

Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

2 SHBETSSHEET 2.

JOHN L. MILLER, OF COBB, FLORIDA.

HORSE-RELEASING DEVICE.

Qgg. j Specification of Letters Patent. Pigmente@ Dec. 20, 1910. Application filed. November 18, 1999. Serial No. 528,769.

To all whom fit moy concern: denotes a pair of shafts, which are trans- Be it known that l, JOHN L. MILLER, a versely connected by the usual cross-bar 2.

citizen of the United States, residing at j These shafts are provided with the usual Cobb, in the county of Santa Rosa and State hooks and il, to which the back straps an of Florida, have invented a new and useful the belly-band 5 and 6 are adapted to be 60 Horse-Releasing Device; and l do hereby connected. These hooks are so constructe declare the following to be a full, clear, and as to allow the back straps and belly-band exact description of the invention, such as to disconnect therefrom, as the traces 7 are will enable others skilled in the art to which released from the swingletree.

l0 it appertains to make and use the same. Secured to the under part or surface of 65 The invention about to be set forth and the cross-bar 2 of the shafts is a plate 8,

claimed belongs to the art of vehicles, and having laterally extending portions or lugs it particularly pertains to a new and usefu 9 and 10. Suitable screws 11 are employed releasing device for swingletrees or doublefor securely fastening this plate in position.

trees, whereby the swingletrees or double- The laterally projecting` portion or lug 9 is 70 trees mav be released in order to rotate, so

provided witha rolled portion 1Q, in which that the traces of the harness may automatithe free ends 13 of the wire loop 14 are discally disconnect therefrom. posed. Pivotally mounted upon the cross- '1`he main object of the invention is to bar of this wire loop is a lever 15, to the provide a device of this design comprising outer free end of which a wire or cord 16 is 75 simplicity and durability. suitably connected.

A further object of the invention is to pro- The laterally projecting portion or lng l0 vide a two-part clevis member so constructed tg provided with an upwardly bent portion and COnnQC/tl With til@ GEOSS-bnl Of til@ 17, the upper edge of which is provided with shafts and thc swingletrees that the swingleears 1S, which 'mterengage with the ear 19 80 tree is allowed to oscillate, and when the two of the plate 2() and through the apertures 22 parts of the said clevis member are disconof the ears 18 and 19 a bolt or pin 23 exnected, as will be hereinafter set forth, the tends, thereby hingedly connecting the two swingletree may be allowed to rotate or plates or parts of the clevis member 24. 1 NIS S() 21S tO dllfollltlCllly l'GlQASQ tll tllCQS Suitable, nut 0f other' threaded lnenber Q5 1S 85 of the harness.

connected to the threaded end of the said Another object of the invention is the probolt or pin 23 in order to prevent displacevision of means disposed between the crossment, thereof The ear 19 '1S integral with a bar of the shafts and the swingletree, to downwardly extending portion 26 of the allow the swingletree to oscillate easily and plate Q0, 90 to be properly maintained in position. Secured t0 the upper fac@ 0f the swmgle- In the drawings 1-Figure 1 is a perspeotree and below the plate 20 is a bearing plate tive view of a pair of shaft-s, showing the 27 (which is provided with a socket 28 and improved releasing device for the swingleaperture 29) with which the plate 2O coptree and the traces of the harness applied erates, he plate Q() is provided with a pro- 95 thereto. Fig. Q is a sectional view transjection 31 to be received by the socket of the versely of the shafts and the cross-bar therebearing plate 27. rEhe bearing plate Q7 at Of, Showing the swingletree mounted propeach end thereof is provided with upwardly erly in position. Fig. 5 is a Cross sectional extending lugs 32, which extend through view through the cross-bar of the shafts and slots 33 of the plate 20. These slots are 10@ the swingletree, showing the detail structure curved on the arc of a circle using the pivot of the various parts. Fig. 4 is a detail peror center of the plate 2O as a center, in order spective view of the two-part clevis member, to allow the swingletree and the bearing and Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of the plate Q7 to readily move. This plate 9.7 is

plates, one of which being carried by the secured to the swingletree by screws or other 105 swingletree is adapted to cooperate with one means 34e. of the parts of said clevis member, while the Secured to the adjacent faces of the crossother two are arranged between the crossbar 2 of the shafts and the swingletree are bar of the shafts and the swingletree. bearing plates 35 and 36. rlhe bearing plate Referring to the annexed illustrations, 1 35 is carried by the swingletree and is pron:

vided with a socket member 3T, which is] adapted to receive the irojection 38 of the l bearing plate 3G (which is carried by the t said cross-bar). These bearing' plates 35 and l 3G are secured in position by screws or other t means 39. Extending upwardly through the plate 8, the cross-bar 2 and. the bearing' plate 36 is a threaded bolt 40, the said bearing' plate 3G having suitable threads in the aperture 4l thereof to engage said bolt 40. 'lhis bolt 40 is provided with a socket portion or recess in the end thereot (which receives the lower extremity ot' the bolt This bolt 43 ext-ends downwardly throug'h the plate 20, the bearing plate QT, through the swingletree and through and into the bearing' plate 35, there being' a suitable threaded aperture in the plate 35 to receive the lower threaded end portion ot said bolt 43.

The plate 2O is provided with a laterally extending l ug 45, the end of which is provided with ears 46. Between the ears 4G a recess 4'? is formed, and into which a lug' 4S, integrally carried by the lever l5, engages, when the lever is in a closed o'r locked position. l"Vhen the lever l5 is in a` closed or locked position, the swing'letree is heid properly in position upon the cross-bar and in such a manner as to allow the traces to be suitably connected thereto. Upon either side or" the ears 4G are or depressions 4Q, in which the side portions of the wire loop 14 are received, as will be clearly seen in ltligs. l, 2 and 3. lllhen it 'is desired to raise the lever l5, by a pulling action upon the cord or wire 1G, the lug' 48 cooperating with the recess 47, acts as a ulcrurn for the lever l5, in order to throv the side portions or bars of the loop 14 out of engagement with the recesses or depressions 49, thereby allowing' the swingletree to twist, and permitting' the traces to be withdrawn from the lugs or hooks 50. lV hen the swingletree is allowed to twist or turn, the upwardly extending portions or lugs are withdrawn from the curved slots ot' the plate 20. Then the side portionsof the loop 14 are disconnected l'rom the recesses 49, the plate 2O pivotally moves at the hinged connection between it and the plate 8, and when the swingletree is moved in this position, as shown in dotted lines in the cross sectional view of the drawings, the

are connected are withdrawn troni the apertures of the traces.

lugs to which the traces F rom the foregoing, it will be observed that a novel structure ot releasing device i.' provided, which will allow the traces of a harness to be easily and quickly disconnected in case of an accident or runaway.

Having' thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and useful is l. In a horse releasing device, the combination of av pair of shafts having a cross bar and a swingletree, of a separable coupling' comprising' two inter-engaging' plates, a clevis member comprising two hinged parts, one engaging' over the swing'letree and the other engaging under the cross bar, the part engaging over the swingletree having curved slots, a plate secured to the upper portion of the swingletree beneath the part having the slots and provided with pins extending into screws penetrating' the bar and the swlngletreehaving threaded portions threaded into the plates forming' the coupling', one of said screws having a conical recess, while the other screw is provided with a conical shaped point to seat in said recess to torni a drill bearing, means for locking the two parts together, and means for releasing said locking means.

2. .ln a horse releasing' device, a pair ot' shafts having' a cross bar, a. swingletree positioned thereabove, a clevis member comprising two hinged parts for hingedly mounting' the swingletree with regard to the cross bar, inter-engaging' plates carried by the adjacent faces cross bar and the of the bolts penetrating the cross bar and the swingletree and the said two parts of the clevis member and provided with threaded connections with the inter-engaging' plates, one ot' said screws having' a conical recess, while the other screw is provided with a conical. point to engage the recess to form a pivotal cone bearing for the swing'letree, and a loop for connecting the free portions ot the two hinged parts.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence ot' two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN L. MLLER.

Wlitnesses:

(lr-Lis. lvloLnoD, J. A. HART. 

